brickcityman (< 20)

Bullsh*t (literally)

0

So last night I was waiting for my Pho order (finally found a decent vietnamese place which is quite an accomplishment for the area in which I reside) and I picked up a local free paper... You know the kind... Lots of classifieds and a few "news" and general interest pieces.

This particular paper caters to farmers and other people interested in heavy machinery. Tucked in the end was a reprinted piece about resurgent interest in using manure for fertilizer. The author even broached the taboo of "human manure", all while citing rising costs for mined and NG derived fertilizers as reaching a breaking point for some farmers. While the author was quick to acknowledge that manure is "no panacea" (his words, not mine) it may still see some resurgence amongst row crop farmers, perhaps even as a supplement to lessen reliance on the more expensive alternatives. As evidence the author cited some attempts at co-locating animal farms and plant farms in GA and other similar projects elsewhere.

One of the main problems, I gather, with manure is excessive phosphorus levels which tend to build up in soil and create negative environmental side-effects. This apparently is what drove "western" farming away from bio fertilizer in the first place.

So all of this begs the question... Are there currently any companies working to remedy this and provide a viable bio-derived fertilizer product on scale? ... I know one can go to any garden center and find bio-derived fertlizers, but I suspect these are not produced on a scale that would make them viable for major produce growers. But that doesn't mean this sort of thing isn't in the works elsewhere.

Anybody else out there been sniffing around for profits in this area? Or is this whole idea just full of it?